December 18, 2010

The Power of a Whisper

Issue No. 204 of Your Weekly Staff Meeting highlights Bill Hybels’ new book on having the guts to hear God speak. He notes how God’s whispers have impacted his board meetings, his parenting and much more. And this reminder, check out my Management Buckets website with dozens of resources and downloadable worksheets for your staff meetings.

Plugged Ears to God

Pipe down, everyone. The gems in this quiet book are…well…disquieting. First of all, how many book titles combine “guts” and “God” these days? (Actually, there a few.) But this title hooks you; the inside stuff convicts you.

Wherever Bill Hybels (pastor of Willow Creek Community Church) speaks—the room goes quiet. In his latest book, he’s suggesting that when God speaks (often with a whisper), you should go quiet.

The trademark transparency that is Bill Hybels is alive and well. Example: at the end of a Willow Creek elders meeting, “in typical fashion the chairman of our board led us in a quick assessment of our demeanor and participation that evening. He asked, ‘Does anybody need to make amends for anything, clarify a point or apologize for a wrongdoing of any kind?’”

Hybels raised his hand—and his credibility—by confessing a playful, but inappropriate comment made earlier to a new elder. The elder was not offended and knew Bill was joking.

Yet this from Hybels: “I got a subtle flag in my spirit after I made that wisecrack,” he admitted, “so I want to stick with the apology and ask your forgiveness here tonight.”

That’s just one of dozens of gems that eloquently illustrate the book’s title, The Power of a Whisper: Hearing God. Having the Guts to Respond.

Hybels, knowing that theologians on the right and the left question whether God still speaks to us mortals today—and if so, how?—suggests five questions to ask to discern God’s whispers. They are: “1) Is the prompting truly from God? 2) Is it scriptural? 3) Is it wise? 4) Is it in tune with your own character? And 5) What do the people you most trust think about it?”

I’ve tried to tune up my wisdom radar lately as I work with colleagues to address the unique nature of Christ-centered board governance. (See below for info on the ECFA Forums 2011 “Board Governance Essentials for Ministries” in Dallas on March 15, 2011.) So I was arrested by this thought on God’s written whispers:

“At the start of an Elders’ meeting recently, one of Willow’s Elders began his prayer this way: ‘God, may we have your mind on the matters we’re about to discuss.’”

That’s not an unusual prayer. What’s unusual (my opinion) is seeing a board, or a management team, or a family, or any group of Christ-followers who pray the prayer—and then can connect the dots to actually discern God’s voice and answer. Referencing James 1:5 (“If any of you lacks wisdom…”), Hybels comments, “The challenge isn’t whether or not he will send it [wisdom], but whether or not we will hear and heed it.”

So how do we hear God’s whispers? This book rolls it out, one practical example after another, after another—comforting examples even—almost like the quiet but confident waves lapping a lakeshore. The chapter titles lure you in: God’s Written Whispers. Light for Dark Nights of the Soul. Promptings for Parenthood. The parenthood pages are amazingly practical and laugh-out-loud (quietly) funny.

Read with open palms and open heart, this book could do serious damage to your status quo. Hybels warns, “There is no more critical goal in life than to keep a pliable heart before God. God cannot be seen by spiritual eyes that are shut. God cannot be heard by spiritual ears that are plugged. And God cannot be followed by a heart that stubbornly stays hard.”

Your Weekly Staff Meeting Questions:1) Hybels says that God’s whispers often are directed to someone else. “If you find yourself with the opportunity to speak into a situation that demands wisdom, but the wise path is not obvious to you, consider King Solomon’s counsel, found in Proverbs 17:28: ‘even fools are thought wise if they keep silent, and discerning if they hold their tongues.’ Perhaps God intends to communicate his wisdom through the lips of another, and your role in this situation is to listen.” How hard is it for you to remain silent sometimes?2) Bill Hybels memorized Scripture in his youth and discovered how God’s whispers spoke to him through those Scriptures, even as a second grader. In the appendix, he lists 35 favorite verses under 13 topics. Share one of your favorite verses and perhaps how God whispered that verse to you recently—and why.

The Cause of Conflict - Insights from Mastering the Management Buckets: 20 Critical Competencies for Leading Your Business or Nonprofit

One of the big ideas in the People Bucket, Chapter 7, in Mastering the Management Buckets is to not only know your own social style, but to become a student of the social styles of your boss (or board chair) and your direct reports.

The four social styles (Analytical, Driver, Amiable and Expressive) are critical keys for unlocking your understanding of the people you work with (including staff, volunteers, board members, donors, vendors, etc.).

According to the social styles system (similar to the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator®, the DISC® model and others—but, in my experience, easier to understand and remember), Analyticals and Expressives are most apt to be in conflict. Amiables and Drivers tend not to see eye-to-eye. In my consulting, I’ve noticed that 80 percent of any inter-personal conflict stems from a lack of understanding the four social styles. Team members who are thoughtful students of each other have far less conflict.

By the way, just this month, the TRACOM Group released a study from Colorado State University asserting that TRACOM’S SOCIAL STYLE is the “most effective interpersonal skills training program.”

To download two helpful “cheat sheets” on the four social styles, visit the People Bucket page on the Management Buckets website.

JOIN US!

Feb. 20-23, 2011 – ENTREPRENEURIAL LEADERSHIP SUMMIT with Rick Goosen, Ted Malloch, Bob Hisrich and John Pearson, at the Thunderbird School of Global Management in Phoenix. More info.

Note: The 2011 schedule of workshops conducted by John Pearson Associates, Inc. (Management Buckets, Nonprofit Board Governance, The Rolling 3-Year Strategic Plan, and others) will be announced this week.